The first half started much like their last game with Itasca grabbing the early lead.  The Vikings led by as many as nine points until a late Spartan rally just before halftime. Noel Kabanga’s  9 points contributed greatly to the first half comeback while Matt Gooselaw also contributed with a pair of three-point shots to give M State a 32-31 lead at the intermission.

The second half started just like the first with Itasca going on a 7 to 1 run and regain the lead which they would hold for a majority of the second half.  The Spartans found themselves down by 10 with only 9 minutes to play.  Matt Gooselaw’s three point shooting continued and kept the Spartans close as they prepared to stage a late second half comeback. Mikele Kambalo and Marqual Turner proved to be the defensive spark for the Spartans by coming up with several steals, recoveries, and rebounds.  Turner’s substitution was impactful by recording 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in only 9 minutes of play.  Turner’s shot with two minutes to play gave the Spartans a five-point lead.  Itasca remained steadfast in having a comeback of their own as they tied the game on a one-handed sot in the lane with 17 seconds to play.  This set the stage for the final basket for Aguer who led all scorers with 24 points.  Noel Kabanga and Matt Gooselaw provided double digit scoring with 19 and 14 points, respectively.  Kambalo’s defense, timely scoring, and assists proved invaluable to the M State come from behind victory.  He finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and three steals in the game. 

Itasca made 46% (28-61) of their shots from the field, but only hit 22% (4-18) of their treys.  Five players were in double digits, led by Johnnie Ambrose with 20 points.  Donte Whymns had 15, Takieto Palmer Jr. had 12, Jerome Washington finished with 11 and Tamarrien Thorpe chipped in with 10.  Washington and Whymns led the team with 8 rebounds apiece.

Minnesota State improved their record to 7-5 while Minnesota North-Itasca slipped to 4-9 on the year.

The Spartans will face Sisseton-Wahpeton at 5:00pm Saturday.